A Pirate in Time (Completed)

10

I gasped. I just killed two different men. I felt like I was going to throw up again. I let go of the sword. It stuck up by itself, making me even more queasy.

I covered my mouth with my hand as I tried to calm my stomach. Unfortunately, while I was trying to get ahold of myself, I failed to realize I had stepped away from the mast and exposed my back.

I shrieked as I was grabbed from behind and thrown over someone's shoulder. My sword! Desperate to get away from the man, I clawed at the back of his neck with my fingernails. He growled and slammed me down hard into the deck.

It knocked the wind out of me. I laid there spluttering like a fish as I tried desperately to get air back into my lungs. The man kicked my side and my lungs released, finally letting precious air in again. I coughed violently, and barely had time to suck in another breath before I was hauled up by my shirt.

Without hesitation, I brought up my knee and kicked the man where no man should ever be kicked. What I didn't expect was the knife that came at me after the fact.

I yelped as the blade sliced my upper arm. I tried to hold in the tears. It stung like throbbing fire, but I tried to ignore it.

The man quickly grabbed my bad arm and squeezed hard. I did my best to hold in a cry of pain but tears still threatened to spill over. In my moment of weakness, the man spun me around so that my back was pressed against him. He held a knife so tightly to my throat that I was afraid to swallow.

"Jeremiah Jackson!" the man bellowed. Almost immediately, the fighting ceased, "Surrender now, or the girl dies."

I wanted to gulp, but suppressed the urge. I met Jay's eyes from across the deck and was a little disheartened when he raised a skeptical brow.

"This is your bargaining tool?" he promptly stuck his blade into the deck and rested his hands on it casually. He looked so comfortable. Was I literally that expendable?

I involuntarily let out some sort of sound as the blade on my neck sliced me, making a hot sticky liquid run down my neck. Jay didn't even flinch.

My brain was screaming that I was going to die. I wasn't valuable enough to keep around.

"She means nothing to you?"

Jay shrugs, "She works in the kitchens. Her death would be an inconvenience, yes, but I'd rather keep her around to make dinner tonight. Among... other things."

If I was not currently in a life or death situation, I'd slap him. But sadly, my life depends on him right now.

The man behind me chuckled darkly, "Maybe I should keep 'er then."

I could feel my face paling as I shot Jay a glare.

"Why don't we settle this like men," Jay suggested, "Winner takes the other's plunder and the kitchen wench."

The man holding me tosses me to the deck and steps forward. I skinned my elbow on the wood and I'm pretty certain there's some splinters in it, but I bite down my anger and watch the two square up. I start to back away from the group, but someone roughly grabs my arm and forces me to my feet.

Jay swirls his sword around like a professional as he waits for his opponent to make the first move. I now realize that the man must be the captain of the other ship.

He reaches both hands to his belt and pulls out two wickedly curved swords.

"That's hardly fair!" I say out loud without meaning to.

Someone shoves me from behind and snickers, "We're pirates. We don't play fair."

After that, my eyes were glued to the fight. They were pretty equally matched from what I could tell. Even though the other captain had two swords, Jay was able to keep up. I backed up when the fight moved closer to us.

The other captain swung one of his arms forcefully in a horizontal swipe. Jay pulled back, but the tip of the sword left a slit across his chest.

He stumbled backwards, his free hand coming up to feel the wound. "How do you know who wins?" I ask anyone that will listen.

"Death."

I gulped as Jay's hand pulled back red. His face turned from concentration to anger as he growled and swung out at the man.

The attack was forceful, swift, and aggressive. I suddenly realized that Jay was only fighting defensively until this point. Now he was overpowering the other captain.

Jay forced him back, both deflecting his blows and inflicting his own. When the man's back hit the mast, Jay wasted no time in running him through. The sword pierced through his stomach and embedded itself into the mast. Jay released the sword and took several graceful steps back away from the captain as he took his last breath.

"Surrender!" Jay said in a strong, intimidating voice, "Or meet the same fate as your captain!"

The clanking of weapons being dropped to the deck surrounded us. I couldn't help but feel relieved. It was over, and I was still alive.